School of Theatre and Dance
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Item Open Access The Emotional Effect of Musical Underscoring in the Play columbinus(East Carolina University, 2018-05-03) Rogers, Jessica; Radics, Aimee; Theatre and DanceOne of the most debated political topics in today’s media is the prominence of school shootings. During a time of discourse, artists typically use this energy to enhance their work and create emotional pieces of art that cause audiences to think about these events. I chose to work with the play columbinus because I felt the story of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre is important and should still be told, but I also felt this story needed to be emotionally enhanced to reach a younger audience 19 years later. As a musical theatre major, I have a clear understanding of how music is able to impact a large group of people when used in the appropriate manner. Therefore, I felt as though musical underscoring would be a compelling vehicle to heighten the emotional impact of the show. I was able to test how musical underscoring at selected points felt in the context of the show through case study readings, where the results provided me with the final underscoring track list to be used in conjunction with a full production of the show at East Carolina University.Item Open Access Lovable Lunatic: The Life & Lyrics of Dorothy Fields(East Carolina University, 2018-05-01) Piner, Talen Reid; Mobley, Jennifer-Scott; Theatre and DanceThere are not enough artistic pieces that celebrate and feature powerful women. In addition, the number of men cast in most theatrical productions usually double the number of women: the production 1776, produced here at ECU, featured a 28-member cast of 24 men and 4 women. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to produce and write a production about a woman. I was incredibly inspired by my voice teacher’s revue about Jerome Kern titled “The Way You Look Tonite”. But I wanted to give women a voice. I wanted to create a musical that could both educate and entertain audiences and cast members with a determined, relatable female protagonist at its center. As the most influential female writer in musical theatre from the 1920’s to the 1970’s, the lyricist Dorothy Fields was the perfect fit. Her vibrant story lifts and inspires women, and men, of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. To share this incredible story, I, along with Talen Piner, cast, directed, costume designed, set designed, conceived, and wrote the new biographical musical titled Lovable Lunatic: The Life and Lyrics of Dorothy Fields.Item Open Access IN FRONT OF AND BEHIND THE TABLE: A CREATIVE ENDEAVOR IN MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMANCE(East Carolina University, 2018-05-04) Weddle, Kaitlin Sarah; Tahaney, Michael; Theatre and DanceI’ve wanted to be a musical theatre performer since I was a little girl. I loved to sing and dance and play pretend, and being able to study what I love is an utter blessing. I’ve learned that in order to accomplish what I dream of, being a performer takes so much more than just singing or dancing. There’s a unique process each performer must develop in order to be successful. It varies from individual to individual, and it is crucial to understanding who we each are as artists. This project where I develop and direct a performance entitled Home: Night of Musical Theatre as well as perform in an ECU theatrical production (Hands on a Hardbody) is meant to help provide clarity towards that idea and gaining a better insight into the processes that actors develop and use in their line of work, as well as show a personal growth and take-away from two different sides of the theatrical “table”: director and performer.Item Open Access Lovable Lunatic: The Life and Lyrics of Dorothy Fields(East Carolina University, 2018-05-01) Leach, Caitlyn Joyce; Mobley, Jennifer-Scott; Theatre and DanceThere are not enough artistic pieces that celebrate and feature powerful women. In addition, the number of men cast in most theatrical productions usually double the number of women: the production 1776, produced here at ECU, featured a 28-member cast of 24 men and 4 women. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to produce and write a production about a woman. I was incredibly inspired by my voice teacher’s revue about Jerome Kern titled “The Way You Look Tonite”. But I wanted to give women a voice. I wanted to create a musical that could both educate and entertain audiences and cast members with a determined, relatable female protagonist at its center. As the most influential female writer in musical theatre from the 1920’s to the 1970’s, the lyricist Dorothy Fields was the perfect fit. Her vibrant story lifts and inspires women, and men, of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. To share this incredible story, I cast, directed, costume designed, set designed, conceived, and wrote the new biographical musical titled Lovable Lunatic: The Life and Lyrics of Dorothy Fields.Item Open Access From Soul to Sole(2015) Wells, Rachel; Lumbard, Dirk; School of Theatre and DanceThis piece is a collaborative work that combines my passion for dance with my love for choreography. My final work is a 3 and half minute long piece that is choreographed for a group of five dancers to the song “Uptown Funk,” by Mark Ronson. With the aid of my mentor, I was able to create a dance that was not only challenging, but also fun for my dancers to perform.Item Embargo Well Water: A Parable(2015) Higgins, Amanda; Shearin, John; School of Theatre and DanceI endeavored to write the story, book, and lyrics of an original musical, then produce and direct a performance of the show. The process involved finding inspiration, using music composition and creative writing, securing funding and a venue, organizing a cast and crew, and directing the cast and crew to realize a common vision.Item Open Access TO BE OR NOT TO BE A (ROLE) MODEL IN A GLASS (CEILING) MENAGERIE(2015-04-28) Neff, Victoria; Garza, Hector; School of Theatre and DanceThis paper explores how famous female characters express societal views and expectations for actual females and presents ways new works can provide expanded options, liberating performers and audiences from restrictive preconceptions. Evidenced by characters like Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Laura Wingfield from Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, these bonds limit audiences and performers from envisioning more rounded roles for female characters—in art and in life. Like Virginia Woolf who felt she—and her audience—must “kill the ‘Angel in the House’” to find their own voice and strength as artists, professionals, and individuals, I, too, as a burgeoning educator and performer, feel compelled to give students a wider array of choices and perspectives beyond the stock characters and expectations that reinforce skewed visions of females by calling attention to characters who are either oppressed, submissive “Angels” or rebellious femme fatales, obeying or reacting to male definitions and demands, and by then creating space for female characters committed to and successful at pursuing personal goals and freedoms. This paper examines how playwrights and typical classroom selections too often depict young women trapped in terrible situations and how, despite all their weaknesses, these female characters still hold sway over audiences, influencing male and female students’ perceptions and expectations about gender roles and power, particularly the power inherent or forbidden in a female character’s options. Finally, this paper emphasizes ways traditional and newer works can help enhance performers and audiences’ options, providing more realistic, vibrant, and memorable character role(model)s.Item Open Access YOGA AND DANCE: EFFECTS OF YOGIC PRACTICE ON PRE-PROFESSIONAL DANCE TRAINING(2014) Mattocks, Nashley A.; Dixon, John; School of Theatre and DanceDance science is a relatively new field of research, but has priceless value to those aspiring to become professional dancers in the future. As a college student training to become a professional concert dancer, I wanted to find out the most effective way to use the last few years of my pre-professional training to benefit me most. I had professors who recommended cross training at the gym, physical therapists who recommended yoga, dance mentors who pushed me to look at other fitness training methods like Pilates, Ultra Barre, and Gyrotonics, and then some who claimed that my dancing was sufficient enough to stand alone. With all of the proPosed options, there was no way of knowing if any of these options were actually going to effect my dancing in a positive way. Modern dance science research has been looking at whether or not dancers should cross train to see maximum growth and strength in performing, auditioning, and technique training. After looking into literature and studies that were already published, countless professional dancers do incorporate some kind of fitness component in addition to their dancing. Of all the above methods mentioned, yoga classes were simple, realistic, and functional enough to benefit dancers of any background and training. / Is it beneficial for pre-professional dancers to cross train to achieve maximum fitness benefits that directly translate to dance abilities? More so, how can a regular yoga practice affect the dance training of a pre-professional level dancer? / Beyond literature review and fundamental yoga technique research, I decided to ask a few of my peers to incorporate a regular yoga practice into their training and journal about it. Using a local yoga studio, Purple Blossom Yoga, three dancers attended different Ashtanga classes and reflect about the experience. I have included some of the journaling prompts as an addendum for reference. This period lasted for fifteen weeks, September through November. With those journals I was able to compare how my own yoga practice and the university-level dancers that I danced with matched up to the literature I was reading. /